It was an evening of raw emotion at Government House, Minna, on Monday as Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago fought back tears while receiving 100 terrified but unharmed pupils rescued from the Papiri schools mass abduction.
The children — some as young as six — were part of the over 300 students and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic Private Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara LGA, seized by heavily armed bandits on 21 November 2025.
With the latest batch, 150 victims have now been freed — 50 had returned days earlier — leaving scores still in captivity inside dense forests.
Wing Commander Abdullahi Idi Hong, representing National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, formally handed the children over to the governor.
“Every security agency in this country has been working day and night since the attack,” Commander Hong told the crowded banquet hall. He promised new national policies to protect schoolchildren and prevent a repeat of the outrage that drew global condemnation.
Governor Bago, voice breaking, thanked President Bola Tinubu and the NSA for their swift intervention.
“Today is fundamental in redefining the history of Niger State. I am emotionally broken looking at the ages and sizes of these children,” he said, staring at the rows of tiny uniforms.
“Never again should this happen in our state.”
He immediately ordered medical teams to examine every child before reuniting them with their families and vowed that the remaining captives “will be brought back very soon.”
The governor called for nationwide prayers and revealed ongoing collaboration with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), UNICEF and other partners to secure every last victim.
Inside the hall, the atmosphere was electric. Parents, clergy and well-wishers wept openly as the children — some clinging to each other, others wide-eyed and silent — walked in under heavy security.
One mother collapsed in sobs when she spotted her daughter; another father lifted his rescued son high, shouting “Thank You, Jesus!”
Outside Government House, hundreds more gathered, singing and waving white handkerchiefs in celebration.
Yet the joy is incomplete. Dozens of children and staff — including the school principal — remain with the bandits.
Governor Bago has one message tonight: “We will not rest until every single one comes home.”
